196 BORING TO DEATH
"That's small stuff," Damen replied, shrugging as if discussing weather.
"He'll heal. If I wanted him dead, he'd be dead. I just came to see him that's all."
Eric slammed his fist on the bedside rail. "Even the one who beat him up shows his face. But those who made him fight….where are they? Nowhere to be seen."
Saye's eyes widened. He flailed weakly. "No…" he tried to interrupt.
Damen's expression changed, a single flicker of interest. "Are you saying someone forced Saye to accept my challenge?"
Eric nodded, grim and certain.
Saye screamed again…this time a terrified, hoarse sound that filled the small room.
Damen didn't need to hear more to understand what was happening.
Saye wasn't the kind of student who'd go out of his way to challenge others for rank…especially not when there was nothing to gain from accepting Damen's duel.
Someone made him fight.
And whoever they were, they terrified him.
"Is someone bullying you, Saye?" Damen asked quietly.
Saye turned his head away.
Eric sighed, rubbing his temples. "Saye's not particularly outstanding in college. He's been bullied before. That's why I built the mech unit… for his protection. But now… the ones who used to bully him are using him instead. They make him fight."
Damen frowned. "You already have such a powerful mech armor. Why are you still afraid of them?"
Saye tried to shout something, but his throat was too weak to form words.
Eric answered instead. "He's not afraid for himself. With that mech, no one can hurt him physically. He's afraid for me. Our family business would suffer if he disobeyed them."
Damen's eyes narrowed. "So, they're blackmailing him… forcing him to fight me to protect your company. What kind of business are you in?"
"We manufacture custom armor and mech bodies," Eric explained. "The unit Saye used is one of our prototypes. Our biggest client is Nuralith Corporation. That's why…"
Damen's jaw tightened. "Nuralith again."
It all clicked.
The same day Rey Nuralith came to threaten him, Saye Somirac had suddenly accepted his challenge. The link couldn't be clearer.
Eric exhaled heavily. "There's nothing we can do. We're small compared to that corporation."
Damen stepped closer. "Mr. Somirac… actually, there's another reason I came to see Saye."
Eric looked up, wary.
"I want to buy your mech armor."
Saye tried to protest, his voice raw. "No… it's not for sale."
"We don't sell to collectors," Eric said, folding his arms.
Damen smirked. "I'm not collecting. I'm ordering…for the armies of Fortress Myrone."
Eric blinked. "Fortress Myrone? You mean the fortress beyond the space rift in Liberty City? We've no connections with them."
Damen reached into his coat and produced a silver insignia—a one-star general's badge.
Eric's eyes widened. "That's… a general's badge?"
Damen nodded. "Yes. I am General Damen Dark, Fortress Myrone. Now…" he smiled faintly. "Shall we talk business?"
----
The next day, Liorea and Captain Green visited the Somirac family factory… a modest but well-equipped facility known for producing state-of-the-art custom armors and mech body units.
Captain Green walked among the assembly lines, watching workers fit armor plating onto humanoid frames. The faint hum of servos and welding sparks filled the air.
"Our soldiers would be a lot safer if they had armor like this," Green remarked, clearly impressed.
Eric Somirac emerged from his office, wiping grease from his hands. "Ah, Damen told me you might visit. Welcome to our humble shop."
Green smiled warmly and extended his hand. "You're doing amazing work here, Mr. Somirac. These body armors could save countless lives."
Eric blinked, a bit taken aback.
He rarely received such genuine appreciation from potential clients.
"Mr. Somirac," Liorea said smoothly, stepping forward. "I'm Liorea, General Damen's assistant. Shall we talk about our order?"
"Of course," Eric said. "How many sets of armor are you looking to purchase?"
Liorea's gaze swept across the factory floor. "Everything you can produce…and more. We'll be investing twenty million aurs into your company to expand production. From today onward, you'll be an official supplier for Fortress Myrone."
Eric froze for a moment, hardly believing what he'd heard. "You'll give us… a cash injection too?"
Liorea nodded. "That's how we do business. And if twenty million isn't enough, we can always increase the investment."
Eric broke into a smile…half disbelief, half relief. "That's more than enough."
----
After Damen defeated Saye Somirac, word spread fast across the campus.
Soon, the eighth-ranked student came forward to accept Damen's challenge.
Damen, true to his principle, never refused a duel…so long as the contract bore the life-and-death clause.
But he understood now: these weren't willing opponents.
They were being sent as pawns of the Nuralith Corporation, which wanted him crippled or dead ever since Eryn Veyran rejected their arranged marriage proposal.
Once again, the battle would take place at the Multi-Meta Auditorium. Damen didn't mind; it was his turf now. Every fight here meant more ticket sales.
This time, Damen stood as the defender, and his challenger was Aero Ulvek.
He glanced at the projected stats before the match began:
Name: Aero Ulvek
Strength Rank: C Meta Rank: B
Specialization: Master of Aerokinetism
The Ulvek family was famous across Silver City. They trained the aerokinetic meta-humans who served in the city's defense forces.
Aero entered the arena dressed in a vibrant, high-tech combat suit and mask, patterned after the city's heroes. The emblem of the Ulvek family blazed proudly on his chest.
He rode in on a wave of wind, landing gracefully in the ring.
The crowd erupted in excitement.
"It's an Ulvek! We're getting a real show tonight!" someone shouted.
"The Ulveks are merciless fighters—he's not easy to beat!" another said.
"Their special move can break through walls and force fields!" a third voice added.
Damen listened, amused. His eyes gleamed beneath the hood.
He was looking forward to this.
The bell rang.
At once, the air around Aero exploded into motion…forming a swirling carpet of wind that lifted him high into the arena's open air.
Damen smirked. "Do you really need an air carpet just to fly?"
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Damen rose into the air as well, lifted not by visible wind, but by raw meta force.
The audience gasped.
"He's just a student! How can he fly like that?"
"They're not normal students…these are the city's geniuses," someone replied in awe.
From above, Aero glared down.
His pride was burned.
He was already a Rank B meta, yet he still relied on his aero field to stay aloft… while this arrogant Rank C challenger floated effortlessly.
It was humiliating.
Then, with a shout, he unleashed his power.
The air twisted into a violent spiral and lashed out, forming a monstrous tornado that roared toward Damen. It struck him full on, wrapping his body in a spinning column of wind.
"How boring," Aero said, crossing his arms midair. "Game's over."
The crowd gasped—some cheering, others holding their breath—watching the cyclone churn around Damen's body.
As the cyclone of wind finally subsided, the arena fell silent.
To everyone's disbelief, Damen was still floating in midair, his arms folded, completely untouched.
"How did he withstand that?!" someone yelled.
"That tornado could smash concrete walls!"
All eyes turned to Aero, waiting for his next move.
Fury twisted his face.
"Damen Dark!" he roared, as the air around him coiled into springs of compressed wind that snapped forward like striking vipers.
Damen's only response was a bored sigh.
"Boring."
He vanished in a blur… gone before the wind coils even reached him.
Then, in the next instant, he reappeared behind Aero, his hand clamped around the man's neck.
A sickening crunch echoed through the arena.
"Arrgghhh!" Aero's scream tore through the air as his face contorted, distorted by the crushing kinetic pressure radiating from Damen's grip.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Is he really just a Rank C?" someone whispered in awe.